Folding table



May 22, 1934. w. c. LINDSAY FOLDING TABLE Filed Jan. 30, 1953 Patented May 22, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING TABLE William 0. Lindsay, South Harriman, Tenn. Application January 30, 1933, Serial No. 654,348

3 Claims. (01. 45-11) easily taken down.

'The invention seeks, as a further object, to provide a table which will be entirely sturdy when set up while, nevertheless, the table may be compactly folded.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a table which may be manufactured in almost any preferred shape or design and wherein, when the legs are folded, the legs will be secured in folded position so that the table may be easily handled.

Other and incidental objects of the invention, not specifically mentioned in the foregoing, will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of my improved table, the legs being shown in section,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the table,

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view showing the parts of the friction latch employed for securing the legs in folded position, and

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view showing one of the elbow catches employed for securing the legs in extended position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that I have shown the present improvements embodied in a table of oblong shape, but the invention is equally applicable to tables of various other shapes.

In carrying the invention into effect, I employ an oblong frame 10 comprising side and end rails appropriately secured together at their ends, and fixed to the frame is a table top 11. Swingingly connected with the table top, near the ends of the frame, are pairs of legs, which, for convenience, are indicated at 12 and 13, and rigidly connecting the legs of the respective pairs of legs are cross bars 14 and 15, respectively. The legs may be of any preferred shape but, as shown in the drawing, are preferably square in cross section at their upper terminals, the cross bars 14 and 15 being countersunk in said terminals. Connecting the cross bar 14 of the pair of legs 12 with the table top are hinges 16 and supporting the pair of legs 13 is a cross strip 17 fixed to the side rails of the frame 10 and to the table top near the adjacent end rail of the frame, the

cross bar 15 of the pair of legs 13 being connected to said strip by hinges 18.

As will now be observed upon reference to Figure 2, the pair of legs 12 may be swung upwardly within the frame 10 to lie within the lines of the cross strip 17 so that the pair of legs 13 may be subsequently swung up within the lines of said frame to overlie the pair of legs 12. In any instance where a table is of such length that the pairs of legs would not overlap each other when folded, the cross strip 17 may be eliminated and the cross bar of the pair of legs 13 connected directly to the table top.

As shown in Figure 1, the pairs of legs 12 and 13 are so mounted that when said pairs of legs are swung downwardly to extended position, the square upper terminals of said legs fit snugly in the corners of the frame 10. Rigidity of the table is thus enhanced. Fixed to the confronting corners of the legs are Z-shaped plates 19 fitting said corners and screwed or otherwise fixed thereto. Preferably, the plates 19 are countersunk and the free ends thereof which project toward each other between the legs are bent inwardly to provide inclined terminals 20. Mounted upon the end rails of the frame 10 to coact with said terminals are pairs of springpressed elbow catches, one of which is shown in detail in Figure 5. As will be observed, each of these catches includes a channel shaped sheet metal casing 21, the side walls of which are bowed at their free ends to provide mating portions of a barrel 22 and formed on the inner extremities of said side walls are angularly disposed ears 23. The barrel 22 accommodates a spring 24 and pivoted between the side walls of the casing is an angle shaped catch member 25, the handle of which is accommodated between the bowed portions of the barrel and is engaged by the spring 24 so that said spring serves to rock the catch member forwardly.

As best seen in Figure 2, the catches are se cured to the lower edges of the end rails of the frame 10, the ears 23 fitting the lower inner angles of said rails so that corresponding ears are screwed to the inner faces of the rails while the opposite corresponding ears are screwed to the lower edges of the rails. The catches are thus rigidly supported to extend inwardly in a plane with the lower perimeter of the frame 10, and, as shown in Figure 1, the catch members 25 are presented outwardly to engage over the terminals 20 of the plates 19 for rigidly locking the legs in extended position. Thus, when the legs are extended, wobbling of the table will be prevented while also, possibility of accidental collapse of the table will be obviated, and, in this connection, it should beobserved that the heads of the catch members 25 are beveled-so that when the legs are swung downwardly to extended position, the inclined terminals 20 of the plates 19 will coact with said edges for rocking the catch members rearwardly so that said terminals will readily ride into engagement with the catch members. Locking of the legs when swung to extended position will thus be automatic.

Fixed to the table top, adjacent the strip 1"], is a block 26 and secured at its ends to said block is a substantially triangular shaped head 2'7. As best seen in Figure 3, the cross bar 15 of the pair of legs 13 is provided medially with an extension 28 and fixed to said extension to project laterally therefrom is a friction latch 29 embodying a clip on which is formed a pair of spring tongues 30 disposed to coact with the head 2'7. Thus, after the pair of legs 12 have been folded to inactive position, the pair of legs 13 are swung upwardly to overlie the pair of legs 12 when the tongues 30 will ride over the head 27 to engage behind. the shoulders thereof for securing the latter pair of legs folded and consequently also securing the pair of legs 12 in folded position. Accordingly, the table,- when folded, may be conveniently handled without liability of dislocating the folded legs.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A folding table including a frame, a top carried thereby, a pair of legs hingedly connected to the table top at one end of the frame, a trans verse strip secured to the underside of the top adjacent the opposite end of the frame, a second pair of legs hingedly connected to said strip, the pairs of legs being movable to extended position projecting from the frame and to folded position Within the frame with the last mentioned legs below the first mentioned legs, means for locking the legs in extended position, and means for frictionally locking the lower pair of legs in folded position.

2. Means for securing hinged table legs in collapsed position within a table frame, said means including a pendent head carried by the table frame and having expanded sides, and a clip carried bythe legs and including spaced spring tongues arranged to ride on and grasp said head.

3. Means for securing hinged table legs in projected position to support a table frame, said means including projections on the opposed sides of the legs inclined toward the center of the table frame, brackets secured to the table frame substantially in a plane with the lower perimeter of said frame, barrels on said brackets, latches pivoted on said brackets in position to engage the projections on the legs, and springs in the barrels bearing upon the latches to hold them to the projections.

WILLIAM C. LINDSAY. [L.S.] 

